ATV death prompts crackdown

Wednesday

Nov 6, 2013 at 9:44 AM

Authorities across Terrebonne Parish say they will no longer tolerate all terrain vehicles on streets and highways.

John HarperStaff Writer

Authorities across Terrebonne Parish say they will no longer tolerate all terrain vehicles on streets and highways.Their action follows Sunday’s death of 14-year-old John Farmer, a passenger in an ATV that flipped and landed on top of him Sunday in Houma’s Barrios subdivision.Duplantis said he is enacting a “zero tolerance” policy to non-licensed drivers and non-registered vehicles operating on city streets. The statement is a departure from de facto practices in the department.Chief Deputy Mike Solet said the Terrebonne Sheriff’s Office is taking the same tack as Houma Police.Duplantis issues a safety warning to the media each spring that urges residents to keep off-road vehicles off the road and parents to keep children supervised while riding them.State law prohibits using ATVs, golf carts, go-carts and similar vehicles on streets or highways unless they have been modified to comply with safety standards, which include things such as brake lights and turn signals. Drivers of any street-legal motor vehicle also need to have a license and registration.“In some cases, the officers were giving warning, but we’re going to start charging these cases,” Duplantis said. “We’re just going to enforce a zero tolerance on it.”Violations will result in a ticket, police said. A conviction for driving an off-road vehicle on a public road could result in a fine of up to $175 and 30 days in jail. Subsequent convictions call for up to $500 in fines and 90 days in jail. The same penalties apply to operating a motor vehicle without a driver’s license.Farmer died when the ATV he was riding cornered sharply at high speed along Buena Vista Boulevard at Sherman Street, authorities said.He became the 11th person to die in Louisiana this year as a result of an ATV related crash, according to statistics kept by Concerned Families for ATV Safety.“What upsets me about the whole thing is I have seen the problem over the years,” Duplantis said. “We’ve provided extra patrols, we bought four-wheelers, and just to see and hear about it was upsetting to me. It happened.”Neighbors interviewed at the scene said children and teens riding through the neighborhood unsupervised on ATVs had become a frequent sight.“I read where residents had seen it going on, heard it going on and were debating calling the police,” Duplantis said. “I just wish that resident would have called right then and there, and we could have prevented it.”Just three weeks prior, on Oct. 11, a 13-year-old boy died in Iberia Parish when the ATV he was riding entered oncoming traffic on U.S. 90 and collided with an SUV.Of the 410 people killed on ATVs in the U.S, this year, 95 were younger than 18. Duplantis, who has a personal connection with Farmer’s family, said it’s important that parents and adults supervise children who ride ATVs.Parents who allow their children to operate ATVs on local roads can also expect face legal charges if caught, Terrebonne Parish District Attorney Joe Waitz Jr. said.“We have obligations to properly supervise our children,” Waitz said. “The improper supervision statute deals with this type of situation; allowing your kid to knowingly operate one of these things is breaking the law.”In the case of Farmer, the 13-year-old driver of the ATV was arrested and has been charged with vehicular homicide and driving without a license, authorities said. The parent who owned the ATV has been cited for contributing to the delinquency of a minor and allowing unlicensed minors to drive.Waitz said he has not reviewed the case but his office would consider the driver’s age and experience in deciding whether to proceed with the charges as filed.“A 13-year-old is going to be a 13-year-old, I think we start out with that basic premise,” Waitz said. “The bottom line is we just need to get these vehicles off the streets and into the fields and woods where they belong.”

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.